


Prince of Smoke

by Smalls2233



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Art at the end of most chapters, Beauty and the beast but I'm not weak and Gabe's a dragon the entire time, Dragon Gabriel Reyes, Elf Jesse McCree, M/M, past McAna
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-03 23:42:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12157206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smalls2233/pseuds/Smalls2233
Summary: After the downfall of the guild of adventurers Jesse McCree had been part of since he was a teenager, he has been searching for a way to gain enough wealth to rebuild what he had lost. When a handsome stranger promises him a way to gain the wealth he needs, Jesse has only a few qualms. Namely, that he would be stealing from the dragon that lurks the Black Peaks.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit 9/24/17 now with an illustration lol. I'll try to get an illustration per chapter bc I like drawing haha

Jesse McCree stared down at the lingering drops of beer in his mug as he fingered his few remaining copper and silver pieces. Realistically, he knew he should save them, buy some bread and cheese for the road. But enough had happened in the past several months to make him want to drown out everything in cheap, watered down alcohol.

The adventurer’s guild he had been in had collapsed under the death of its leader, Ana Amari three months previous. A rival guild had been vying for power and took her out in an attack that cost him an arm and an eye.

Jesse flexed the livingwood that the guild’s healer, and his best friend since he had been a teenager, Angela Ziegler, had fashioned an arm for him out of as he reminisced.

“What are you drinking? I’ll buy you another,” a rough voice offered, drawing Jesse out of his reverie.

Jesse turned to face a handsome human with blonde hair and twin scars running the length of his face, “Appreciate the offer, but don't feel compelled none,” Jesse said. “Ain't exactly the man you’d wanna be buyin’ drinks for.”

The man gave him a wry grin, “I insist, from what I've heard you’re exactly the man I’d wanna be buying drinks for. Jesse McCree, right? I’m Jack.” Jack held out a hand that Jesse shook with mild reluctance.

“I'm a mite curious ‘bout what you’ve heard of me,” Jesse laughed.

“Nothing bad if that’s what you’re wondering,” Jack grinned. “We can talk about it over a drink. You a whiskey man?”

“Can a coyote howl?” Jesse asked. When Jack stared at him in confusion he clarified, “Yeah-- yes, I drink whiskey.”

The smile Jack gave him was brilliant and bright, “Knew I could trust you.” He flagged down the bartender while Jesse downed the last few drops of his drink. 

“So, what’s it that you’ve heard of me?” Jesse asked as he rest his chin on a palm and stared at Jack.

“Been hearing whisperings about a handsome desert elf looking for cash, and figured I knew a way to help him out,” Jack shrugged. “Years back I used to work with -- that might be a bit of a stretch -- the dragon that lives in Black Peaks.”

Jesse let out a low whistle, “You, a  _ human _ , worked with the Reaper?”

Jack raised a brow, “Who said anything about me being human?” Then, he laughed loudly and slapped Jesse on the back, “What a dramatic name that people came up for him, though. The Reaper? Come  _ on _ , he’s a fucking softie. Guess it’s better than Kingkiller, which he used to go by,” Jack rolled his eyes. “His name’s Gabriel.”

Jesse snorted, “The fuck kinda name for a dragon is Gabriel?”

“The fuck kinda name for an elf is Jesse? Aren't you all supposed to have apostrophes and shit in your names,? Jack laughed as he took a sip of his whiskey, Jesse followed suit and relished in its burn. This was the good stuff, not the watered down beer and whiskey he’d been able to afford. “But, that’s his name. I could get you set up with some gear and directions if you’d wanna raid his lair.”

“Raid a dragon’s lair?” Jesse laughed in disbelief, “You think I got a death wish?”

“Gabe probably won't even be there,” Jack waved Jesse’s concern off. “He likes to play liege lord over a bunch of humans away from his lair. If he’s there he’d probably just send you off, he doesn't want to deal with people.” Jack swirled the whiskey in his glass as his grin widened to an almost feral intensity as he looked Jesse in the eyes, “Even if they are handsome elves.”

“This all a big excuse to get me in your bed?” Jesse raised an eyebrow.

“Could be an unintended bonus,” Jack shrugged. “No strings attached offer, though, for the gear.”

Jesse took a slow sip of his whiskey as he considered. “What do you stand to gain from this?” He asked after a moment.

“See Gabe knocked down a peg or two if I’m gonna be honest,” Jack shrugged. “Plus, heard about the fall of your guild and how you’re raising money to start a new one. I’d offer to bankroll all of it for you, but even I don't have that kind of money.”

Jesse eyed the way Jack was dressed. At first glance, his clothing looked no different than any other patrons of the dingy inn’s dingier tavern. But looking closer, the fabrics were of fine make, the cut closely tailored to show off Jack’s impressive body. It reeked of wealth. “The money you do got, is it legitimate?” He didn't want to get involved with any risky business. He spent his early life with a gang of thieves and rogues and didn't intend on returning to that life.

“As legitimate as you’re gonna get,” Jack said. “And seriously, this is a no strings attached deal. I’ve got plenty of gold and I’m more than willing to share it with a worthy cause.” Jack gulped down the last of his drink and Jesse followed suit.

“If it’s not gonna bite me in the ass later, I’m good with this,” Jesse said as Jack ordered another round of drinks. The liquor sat warm in his belly as he stared at Jack’s handsome profile. “Course, I ain’t opposed to you bitin’ me in the ass,” he drawled, raising an eyebrow.

Jack snorted, “I don't think you want me actually biting you in the ass.”

“Naw, but it sounded good,” Jesse grinned. 

“I’ll have to disagree with that,” Jack grinned back as the bartender dropped off their drinks. He slid one of the drinks down to Jesse who caught it with a waiting hand. “I do have an ulterior motive to sleeping with you, though,” Jack confessed, face turning pink.

Jesse raised an eyebrow but said nothing. So Jack continued, “I’m down here teaching some of the kids at the local academy about various weapon techniques, swords, crossbows, and the like. But I can't get a room at the inn,” he winced. “Would you mind sharing a bed with me?”

“I’m hurt, Jack, you’re usin’ a man for his bed,” Jesse laughed.

“I’m thinking you’d be getting a pretty good deal out of it,” Jack raised a brow as he took a sip of whiskey.

“Thinkin’ you might be right there,” Jesse nodded. He took a moment to admire the way Jack’s muscles moved underneath the fine material of his tunic. He hadn't been intending on taking anyone home that night, but he’d never say no to an opportunity like that.

He hadn't slept with anyone since Ana, and if it took a handsome stranger from a tavern to help him move past losing her, well, he knew Ana would be the one pushing him into bed. Jesse took a long drink as he thought of Ana again, trying to drown out the pain with liquor. It wasn't like they had been  _ together _ , but the loss of her still ached.

“You okay?” Jack asked, seemingly noticing Jesse’s mood. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Jesse waved Jack’s concern off with a hand. “Just been a while, so I might be a bit rusty.”

“I’m impressed,” Jack laughed as he leaned forward onto the bar’s counter. “A man who will admit to not having fucked in a while. Same here though, being honest.” Jack added something under his breath that Jesse couldn't quite catch. 

“Come again, darlin’?” Jesse asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Jack said with that easy grin Jesse suddenly wanted to kiss off of him. He considered blaming that thought on the alcohol, but the whiskey wasn't enough to tip him over to that point yet.

“So,” Jesse started after a moment of silence. He swirled the whiskey in his glass and stared at the amber liquid, “What did you do with The Re-- Gabriel?”

“Back in his charitable days, Gabe used to think he could save the world,” Jack said, looking wistful. “I'm not sure if you’ve heard the stories, but I was part of the group that travelled with him.”

“Thought it was just him and another dragon?” Jesse asked. He  _ had _ heard the stories, but they never mentioned humans. 

Jack gave him a sly grin and Jesse got the distinct feeling that Jack was laughing at him on the inside, “Nah, there were a couple humans. They just tend to get forgotten.”

Jesse took a long sip of his drink, “So that how you got the money?”

“Partially,” Jack nodded. “The group split up when Gabe decided he had enough of helping humans,” he rolled his eyes. “So now he’s a grumpy old man living mostly alone in the mountains and fancying himself a king.”

“You ever visit him?”

Jack shrugged, “Sometimes, he’s a pain to deal with. Things didn't exactly end  _ well _ with us either. We both said things we regretted.”

“Pretty sure most disagreements a human get into with a dragon end up worse for the human.”

“I’m sure an elf would end up worse as well,” Jack raised an eyebrow. “It’s where I got the scars from, though,” he shrugged. “Neither of us got off without being hurt.” Jack swallowed the last of his drink. “But that’s in the past. Gabe wouldn't  _ hurt _ you, but if he’s there he’ll probably try and scare you off.”

“Real reassurin’, Jack.”

“Relax, Jesse,” Jack slapped Jesse on the back again and it felt like all the air left his body. While Jesse wheezed in a breath, Jack said, “I don't even think he’s there. Every month he spends a week at the castle he ‘liberated’ from some old, bad king and that’s this week.”

When Jesse finally got the air back in his lungs, he chuckled, “Can’t believe I’m seriously considerin’ stealing gold from a dragon’s lair. Can already feel my ma and pa rollin’ in their graves at the stupidity of their son, bless their souls.”

“If there’s a dragon to steal from, it’s Gabe,” Jack laughed. “His reputation is enough of deterrent from adventurers trying to steal his gold, he’s not a fan of  _ actually _ backing that reputation up.”

“You promisin’ that you’re not sendin’ me to a death trap?” Jesse asked.

“Believe me, if I wanted you dead there would be a million easier options for me than sending you to a dragon’s lair,” Jack said. He tapped Jesse’s forearm lightly with two fingers, “Wanna finish up your drink and finish this conversation later?”

“Later being when we get to my room, or after we fuck?” Jesse asked, a slight thrill in his stomach. He hadn't picked up a stranger in a bar in years, not since before Ana. 

“Was thinking after, but it’s up to you, cowboy.”

Jesse grinned and shot back the last of his drink, “I’m thinkin’ after sounds mighty agreeable to me.”

\---

Jesse hadn't been quite sure what to expect when he took Jack back to his room. But it certainly hadn't been for Jack to pin him to the wall nearly as soon as Jesse shut the door behind them.

“Now darlin’,” Jesse said as Jack sucked a mark on his neck. “Might need to give me a moment to get clean and ready for you.”

Jack backed off with obvious reluctance, parting with a firm bite, a promise of things to come. Jesse felt his cock twitch at the pressure, at the promise. 

Jesse didn't even bother waiting to get to the washroom to strip from his clothes. There was no point in modesty, not with Jack standing there with an erection tenting the fabric of his pants. Jesse left a trail of heavy fabrics and furs as he went. He felt Jack’s eyes lay heavy on him, watching his movements with hunger. 

“Be just a tic,” Jesse waved over his shoulder as he walked into the washroom. He didn't want to spend too long washing up, but he needed to get the day’s grit off of him.

The washroom was a luxury that he had spent one of his very limited gold pieces on. The innkeeper had filled the tub with water earlier that day, and Jesse scooped some of it out in a bucket and grabbed a washcloth and got to work.

As he methodically cleaned himself, his thoughts drifted to the deal Jack had promised him. Jesse wasn't that familiar with the area he was in. It was further north than was usually comfortable with. But he had heard rumors of The Reaper that dwelled in Black Peaks.

He was willing to try anything once, if only to get that thrill running in his gut. But a dragon’s lair, Jesse hadn't ever thought he'd be tackling one of those. Even back in the guild, it had been nearly forbidden to raid one of those.

Jesse snorted as he imagined Ana lecturing him about the foolhardy stunt he was about to pull. But he was desperate for coins, and he might not have fully trusted Jack, but he seemed reasonable enough. Of course, that might just have been his dick talking. But Jesse had nothing else to live for, so why not try for one last adventure?

Jesse shook the morbid thought from his mind as he finished his washing. He was as clean as he was gonna get, and Jack was waiting for him. His erection had waned in the time it took for him to clean himself off thanks to his less-than-sexual train of thought.

Jesse turned his thoughts to Jack as he dried himself off with one of the scratchy towels the inn provided. He didn't fully believe Jack about why he was in town, or really anything, but he was handsome and had a large purse full of coins. As long as the money was as legitimate as Jack said it was, Jesse would gladly fuck him, take whatever he bought him, and then never see the man again.

Though, as Jesse wandered back from the washroom, he thought that he wouldn't quite mind taking Jack to bed again. He had no idea on what his actual skills were, but  _ lord _ was he a gorgeous sight, sprawled out on the bed, all milky skin and defined muscles.

“Squeaky clean?” Jack asked, grin audible.

“Clean as I’ll ever be,” Jesse laughed as he walked to the bed, naked as the day he was born. 

Jesse didn't even make it to the bed before Jack got up and nearly tackled him. Jack was all teeth and hard kisses on Jesse, brutal and unforgiving.

Jesse willingly submitted to Jack’s teeth and roaming hands. He hadn't pegged Jack as a domineering man, but with Jack everywhere on him at once, he had a hard time complaining.

Jack rubbed a scarred knee against Jesse’s hard cock as he sucked a mark on Jesse’s collarbone. Jesse threw his head back with a breathless moan as he rut against Jack’s knee. It had been long enough since he had been with another that he felt like he was going to come from that little stimulation. 

As if sensing his impending orgasm, Jack pulled off of Jesse as suddenly as he has tackled him. Jesse whined pathetically at the sudden loss of stimulation.

“We should probably move to the bed for this next bit,” Jack said, suddenly sounding unsure of himself. He stared at Jesse with lust filled eyes, and Jesse swallowed nervously.

Jack’s cock was hard and bobbing as he helped Jesse up off the floor. His grip was equally gentle and forceful and Jesse’s dick twitched in interest at the thought of those strong arms holding him down and fucking him.

“You got lube?” Jack asked when Jesse was steady on his feet.

Jesse felt his face flush, “I, uh, don't need any.”

Jack’s brows twisted in confusion, “Jesse, I’m fine with rough-- I like rough, but I’m not going in dry.”

Jesse’s flush deepened, “Look, I don't know what humans are like. But,” Jesse was beyond mortified at the thought of explaining this little bit of elven anatomy to a human. “Elves have a few different sex types.”

Jack’s eyes lit up in recognition, “I forgot about that.” One of his brilliant white grins was stretched on his face, and Jesse felt warmth blossom in his chest at the sight. Jack looked beautiful smiling. “Well I’m one hell of a lucky man tonight, aren't I?”

Jesse laughed as he sat down on the edge of the bed, “Reckonin’ we’re both lucky tonight. How do you want me, by the way?” He asked.

“Spread your legs some more, if it’s more comfortable you can lay back,” Jack said, kneeling between Jesse’s spread legs.

Jesse nodded as he spread his legs wide to accommodate Jack. “I’m good with rough, Jack,” he added after a moment of consideration.

Jack grinned, “Figured you’d be. Now be a good boy and make some noise for me.”

Jack didn't have to tell Jesse that twice, especially not with how he took Jesse’s entire impressive length in one fell swoop. He didn't know if that was a Jack thing or a human thing. Jesse didn't know if he had  _ ever  _ been with a human before. But either way, a surprised gasp ripped free from his throat. 

“Holy shit,” Jesse groaned as Jack just stayed there for a moment, swallowing around his cock. The soft feeling of Jack’s throats surrounding his dick was countered by the feeling of Jack’s nails digging into his thighs.

He loved it, and already he was dancing along the edge of orgasm. Jack had barely even done anything but swallow his cock and scratch up his thighs and Jesse was itching and ready for release. When Jack’s head began to move, Jesse knew he was well and truly fucked. 

“Jack,  _ shit _ ,” Jesse moaned. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum.”

Just as Jesse had  _ nearly _ reached orgasm, Jack pulled off and wrapped a hand tightly around the base of Jesse’s cock. “Didn't realize you were a quickdraw,” he said. 

Jesse threw his head back and groaned in frustration, “Didn't realize you were a tease.”

“You’ll thank me for it later,” Jack grinned as he released Jesse’s cock from his grip. “Wish I had thought to bring a ring with me.”

“Thank the gods you didn't,” Jesse groaned.

“Next time,” Jack promised and Jesse felt thrill in his chest. He hadn't been planning on seeing Jack again, didn't fully trust him. But the thoughts of seeing him again, having those warm hands that felt like there was a fire inside on his body again, excited Jesse despite his misgivings. 

“Next time,” Jesse agreed.

Jack ran a finger along Jesse’s hole, “You weren't lying about not needing lube.”

Jesse felt a blush creeping up on him again, “Look, if it’s too weird we don't gotta do this.”

Jack slid a finger into him and Jesse gasped at the stretch. “Didn't say it was weird, or bad,” he kissed Jesse’s thigh as he worked on stretching him out. Despite talking about being rough, Jack was gentle and patient as he stretched Jesse out. 

Jesse bit down on his hand to stifle a loud moan as Jack added in a second finger. He didn't mind being loud, but the walls of the inn were thin and cheap, and he didn't want to risk being run out of the only inn in town. 

Jack seemed determined to wrestle the moans out of him as he twisted his fingers wickedly, just barely rubbing against Jesse’s prostate.

Jesse nearly came as soon as Jack added a third finger to the mix. He felt stretched full and his cock was leaking all over his belly. 

“Jack,” Jesse moaned around his hand. “ _ Please _ .”

Jack grinned and pulled his fingers free from Jesse, and gave him a few moments to come back from the edge. “Please, what, Jesse?”

Jesse groaned, “You teasing piece of shit. Fuck me already.”

Jack chuckled as he stood up, “Move a bit further back on the bed, Jesse.”

“Back or belly?”

Jack took a moment to consider, “Back. I wanna look at you.”

“Well fancy that, I don't mind looking at you either,” Jesse laughed as he scooted back on the bed. Blindly, he rearranged the pillows so he could lean against them in a more comfortable position.

Jack was on top of him in an instant, hard cock rubbing against Jesse’s thigh. The gentleness of Jack’s preparation was gone and it was back to firm hands and teeth scraping against his skin. 

Jesse arched into the contact and closed his eyes as he felt Jack’s hard cock rub against his hole. A soft moan left his lips as Jack began to slide into his wet and ready ass.

“Shit, Jesse,” Jack groaned as he easily slid in. “So warm.”

“Desert elves tend to be,” Jesse’s voice was breathless as Jack ran his nails down his sides and sucked a mark onto his neck. He was suddenly grateful for the high collars the cold northern reaches required of him. 

Jack paused for a moment, letting Jesse adjust to the stretch. Jesse opened his mouth to make a smart comment about Jack’s surprisingly gentle treatment, but was cut off by Jack wrapping a hand around his cock and asking, “You gonna cum immediately if I do this?”

Jesse swallowed, “I can hold out.”

“Are you just saying that, or can you really hold out?” Jack began rocking his hips slowly into Jesse and held the base of his cock firmly.

“I can hold out,” Jesse threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut. 

Jack hummed his approval as he grabbed hold of Jesse’s chin with his free hand. “Wanna see your eyes,” Jack said as he began thrusting in earnest. There was the roughness he had promised Jesse, hard thrusts that ignored Jesse’s prostate entirely.

Jesse opened his eyes and found Jack’s icy blue ones staring straight back. Jesse bit back a loud moan as Jack finally slammed into his prostate.

Jesse was barely able to keep himself from cumming as Jack alternated barely brushing his prostate and slamming hard right into it. He made soft  _ ah-ah’s _ as Jack fucked into him.

“Gonna cum in you,” Jack said quickly and Jesse nodded so hard he felt like his head was going to snap off. 

Jack pulled Jesse into a kiss that was near feral as he came in Jesse, more cum than Jesse had been expecting from a human. With Jack’s hand stroking his cock, Jesse followed him along quickly in orgasm. His moan was muffled by Jack’s mouth on his. 

After a few moments spent catching his breath, Jack pulled out of Jesse and flopped over. “Shit,” he said. “That was good.”

Jesse laughed, near breathless, “I’d have to agree with you, Jack.”

Jack snuck a pillow out from under Jesse and kissed his cheek, “Get some sleep, we’ll get gear in the morning.”

Jesse nodded and turned around to face Jack. “Sounds good, goodnight, Jack.” He said as he wrapped an arm around Jack and pulled him close. 

“Goodnight, Jesse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is one of the most self indulgent things I could write haha. idk how long this will be, but probably not SUPER long
> 
> My next huge fic is gonna start being published on halloween, and it's gonna be a real _monster_ (it's the werewolf au that I've been talking about on twitter for ages. if you're interested in that au, venomous is part of it, but way after the first fic for that au that i'll be publishing soon)  
>  \---  
> follow me online @smalls2233


	2. Chapter 2

While out and about the town purchasing supplies the next day, many of Jesse’s concerns surrounding Jack were alleviated. He was popular among the shopkeepers and residents of the town. When the two men had stopped at a small bakery to pick up some bread and cheese for breakfast. Despite Jack’s insistence on paying, they ended up leaving saddled with free pasties, meat pies, and sweet pastries.

“What’d you do to get this kind of reception?” Jesse whistled as he tore open a pasty.

Jack laughed as he bit into a pie, “Years back I helped save the town from a brigade of orcs. Afterwards, I’m here a couple times a month at the academy.”

“Sounds like you got a lotta stories to tell, Jack,” Jesse tried to take a bite of his pasty and ended up burning his mouth. It was still piping hot.

“Careful there, buddy,” Jack snorted. “Might want to wait for that to cool, swear to the gods they make those hotter than dragonfire.”

“Know that from working with Re-- Gabriel?” Jesse asked as he blew into his pasty to cool it down.

“Nah, it’s personal experience but not Gabe. He breathes smoke,” Jack shrugged. Jesse waited for him to clarify further, but he just took another bite of his pie.

“You deal with a lot of dragons?” Jesse prodded.

Jack grinned, “You could say that,” and then he laughed like it was his own little joke. Jesse stared down at his pasty, wondering just what the fuck was up with humans.

Hesitantly, Jesse took a small bite of his pasty, finding that it had cooled down enough not to immediately burn the roof of his mouth. So more confidently, he took a larger bite, half because he was starving, and half because he had no idea how to respond to Jack.

The two men chewed in silence for a few minutes. Jack had finished his pie first, and reached into the bag of baked goods and pulled out a second pie. Jesse was still only halfway through his pasty when Jack said, “Aren't they good? Their pasties. I’ve been all over the continent and still haven't found a better pasty.”

Jesse nodded as he swallowed his bite, “Well, food bein’ free always makes it taste better. But, yeah, these are mighty tasty.”

“I don't know why I even try paying that baker,” Jack said, mouth full of meat and vegetables. “Every time I stop in there, I try to pay and she ends up giving me half her inventory.”

“You save her life in particular?” Jesse asked.

“Probably? I don't remember,” Jack shrugged. “I’ve managed to get everywhere else to accept my coin except for her.” He leaned over and stole a bite of Jesse’s pasty.

“You do realize there’s ‘round five or six more of these in that bag, right?” Jesse asked as he pulled his pasty away. “You don't have to eat mine.”

“Yeah, but they haven't cooled down enough like yours has,” Jack said.

“Break apart one to cool down while you finish your pie then,” Jesse grumbled as he took a possessive bite of his pasty.

“Want a bite of my pie?” Jack offered, waving the handheld bundle of pastry and meats in front of Jesse’s nose.

Jesse’s response was to take a bite out of it, only to immediately spit it out and yelp in pain as he burnt his tongue. “Fuck, Jack,” he swore. “You’re complainin’ about the pasties bein’ too hot and then you’re eatin’ that like it’s not lava encased in fire?”

“It’s not _that_ hot,” Jack objected as he took another bite from it.

“The third degree burns in my mouth beg to differ.”

“More for me,” Jack shrugged.

“I'm taking the sweets then,” Jesse said immediately. He had been eying the pain au chocolat and custard tarts ever since the baker had shoved them in the bag, despite Jack’s protests.

Jack hummed, “Save some for me?”

“You can have one of each. The rest is all mine,” Jesse finished up his pasty and licked the gravy and crumbs off his fingers.

Jack made a face, “There’s at least five of everything in there, we can split it half and half.”

“You took a bite out of my pasty!”

“You spit out your bite of my meat pie!”

Jesse snorted as he dug through the bag for another pasty, “Whatever, Jack.” He landed on a pasty and pulled it out of the bag by its cooler, thick seal of crust. “Want half of this?” He asked, tearing it in half.

“Yeah,” Jack said, mouth full of meat. He stuck out his free hand and Jesse stuck the pasty in it.

“You not eat in years?” Jesse laughed as he blew into his half of the pasty to cool it down.

Jack shrugged, “I’m just a hungry man.”

“You’re one hell of an interesting man,” Jesse took a bite out of pasty, closing his eyes in enjoyment of the savory flavors. It had been a while since he had been able to have food like that, even as simple and cheap as pasties were.

“So what about you?” Jack asked, pausing his eating. “What’s your story? Beyond looking for money to start a new guild.”

Jesse let out a long sigh, “What do you wanna know? Started out in a life of crime, was a street rat scroungin’ around for pennies in the dirt of a human city. Eventually, I was brought into Ana’s guild when I was caught tryin’ to run one of the members through with a knife and they tossed me a bone. Worked my way up the ranks, then it all came crashing down.” He took another bite of his pasty and chewed slowly before he continued on, “I feel driftless, aimless without the guild. Miss Ana dearly too. It ain’t right of me to dump all that on ya, though.”

“I asked,” Jack rested a hand on Jesse's shoulder, having finished up the meat pie. “I know that feeling of aimlessness,” he said as he stared up at the sky. “After everything fell apart with Gabe, I just wandered for _years_. Everything felt dull and lifeless without that purpose that he had given us all. Eventually, I stumbled across this town, not even twenty miles from the feet of the Black Peaks and Gabe, and found my purpose again after that orc raid.”

“Bet you got a lotta interesting stories, Jack,” Jesse let out a low whistle.

“You don't even know the half of it,” Jack grinned. “But, again, I know where you're coming from. When you spend years of your life doing something and it’s ripped away from you, everything else feels meaningless. So I’m here to help, and hopefully in the end you’ll find that purpose, Gabe too.”

Jesse felt his face flush under the intense gaze of Jack’s blue eyes. He took a huge bite of his pasty to avoid looking at him. “Thank you, Jack,” Jesse said softly.

“I’m pretty sure the whole world heard the news of your guild falling, Jesse,” Jack replied as he turned his head to stare at the clouds in the sky. “A lot of good, innocent people have suffered because of it. And if I can help make things right in at least one life, that’s what I’m gonna do.” When Jack finished speaking, the two men settled into a comfortable silence as they finished off their food.

\---

“You can't be serious about giving me an adamant short sword,” Jesse said as Jack took him into the armory of the academy.

“It’s from my personal treasure trove,” Jack said with a laugh. “Believe me, I’m not using it.”

“What the fuck kind of man just has an adamant short sword lying around?”

“Don't know, but I’ve got one. I’ve always been a broadsword man myself, so I won't be missing it too badly.”

“Jack, it’s worth a literal fortune, I can't accept this. We barely know each other.”

“We fucked, I think we know each other plenty,” Jack chuckled as he inspected a wall of ranged weapons. “You a long bow man or a crossbow man?”

“Crossbows-- but Jack I really can't accept this.”

“Want to field test a hand cannon for me? An old dwarven friend of mine has been sending prototypes to me, but I’ve never had much of a reason to use them as of late.”

“I thought this was supposed to go peacefully?”

“You have nothing to worry about with Gabe except for his huffing and puffing. It’s getting _to_ his lair that’s the dangerous bit.”

“How do you mean?”

“Have you ever been to the Black Peaks? No, of course not or else you'd know this already. Years back, before even I was born, the humans who settled this area found that it was inhabited by some of the more deadly creatures. Gryphons, perytons, wyverns, the list goes on. They worked with the taurs around here to isolate those creatures to the Black Peaks in order to make this area habitable for more than small tribes of hardy taurs.”

“So what I’m hearing is there’ll not only be a huge dragon at the end, but a bunch of dangerous animals?”

“Yeah, essentially,” Jack shrugged. “So you want that hand cannon or nah?”

“How much of a chance so I have of it blowing up in my face?”

“A small chance, probably. Törbjorn makes quality things, but this _is_ an experiment. So I wouldn't use it for primary fire.”

“Okay so, dragons, dangerous animals, and a weapon that may or may not blow up in my face. I'm feelin’ more and more confident by the minute.”

“Relax, I doubt Gabe or the other dragon that lives around there would let you die.”

“The other dragon?” Jesse asked, curious.

“Oh, yeah, there’s another dragon that lives in the Black Peaks,” Jack replied. “Big, blue scales, some fur. Really scary looking.”

“So I’m just gonna go ahead and sell the adamant sword instead of dealing with a second dragon on top of all of that.”

“You’ll be fine, _trust_ me,” Jack put a hand on Jesse’s arm. “You’ll have more than enough weapons to deal with anything and Gabe _probably_ won't hurt you, the other definitely won't.”

“So why don't I just steal from him?”

“Because I said so,” Jack said, frowning. “Look, trust me, just steal from Gabe. I’m gonna set you up with a few different types of crossbow bolts, some enchanted ones, some steel, some adamant in case you come across a wyvern.”

Jesse noticed the change in subject, and was suspicious, “Any reason in particular I should leave that dragon alone?”

“Because I said so,” Jack snapped. “Listen, I’m bankrolling you stealing treasure from Gabe, not stealing from--” he cut himself off. “Gabe will be easier to take things from because he probably won't be there. If he is, he’ll probably give you a swat with a paw and send you back down the mountain.”

Jesse frowned deeply but left the topic alone, “How long do you think it will take to get up and down the mountain?”

“Including travel time, about a week each way,” Jack replied. “I could set you up with a horse that’ll cut it down a couple of days, but the mountains themselves are the problem. Give me a moment to get a map,” Jack walked off without waiting for Jesse to respond.

Jesse spent the time waiting for Jack by inspecting the armory. It had an impressive assortment of weapons and armor, and it made Jesse suddenly homesick for the adventurers guild.

His eyes were drawn to a silver khopesh hanging on the wall. It was a weapon of Ana’s people, an offshoot of desert elves, and his heart ached as he stared at it. Gingerly, he took it off of its place on the wall and ran his fingers around the runic inscription, feeling the magic coursing through it.

“Noticed that, I see,” Jack said softly as he walked back into the room, several maps cracked in his arms. “That was given to me by Ana Amari, who I know you’re intimately familiar with.”

Jesse’s eyes widened, “You knew Ana?”

Jack gave him a sad smile, “She was part of the group that travelled with me and Gabe.”

“She never mentioned that,” Jesse’s voice was quiet.

“Not a lot of people did brought it up after the fact, it ended badly,” Jack said. “We stayed close until her death. So, I guess there’s another reason why I’m interested in helping you out.”

“And you never thought about mentionin’ it?” Jesse asked, swinging the lightweight sword through the air.

“I’m sure a lot of men will make claims about knowing Ana Amari. I didn't want to scare you off,” Jack shrugged as he set the maps down onto a tabletop. “If you want to come here, though, I’ll mark a map up for you to show you how to get to Gabe.”

“What was Ana like, when you worked together?” Jesse asked quietly.

Jack was quiet for a moment while he thought. “She was headstrong and brilliant. She was a better shot than any of us with a longbow, and her potions saved our sorry asses more than once. She had a lot of men and women, but never settled down with any of them.”

Jesse let out a shaky laugh, “Sounds like Ana.”

“She was a dear friend to both me and Gabe. I don't know if Fareeha remembers, but when she was little, she spent a lot of time with Gabe.”

“Never mentioned anythin’ to me,” Jesse said.

“He loved that kid,” Jack said. “How is she?”

“Incredible, she’s one of the best people I know,” Jesse wiped away a tear that was beginning to form in his eye. “She takes after her mom in all the best ways.”

“Wonder if she remembers me at all,” Jack laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “But that’s not what’s important right now, let me show you the paths you’re gonna want to take.”

Jack spent two running Jesse through the different paths he could take through the mountains. Gone were the easy smiles and laughter, in their place was the tone of a leader who needed his men to listen to him.

“This path is the fastest,” Jack said, about half an hour in. “But it crosses right through the lairs of two wyverns and a Minotaur.”

“What’s the difference between wyverns and dragons?” Jesse asked.

“Dragons are intelligent, sentient creatures like humans, elves, and most taurs. Some possess the ability to change forms. And all have deadly breath weapons. Wyverns, on the other hand, are more like hyper intelligent beasts, but they're not sentient. They have no breath weapons, but their back talons are deadly and their wings are massive. You don't want to get into a battle with one alone.”

“So what you're sayin’ is that way’s a death trap?” Jesse asked.

“Yes, exactly, avoid that path unless the other ones are impassible. You could potentially reason with the Minotaur, but his intelligence level is about that of an ogre and his bloodlust about twice.”

“Yeah, I’ve had a run in with a Minotaur before. Nasty beasts.”

“If you look at this path, it might be the clearest but it will take longer,” Jack traced a path with a finger on the map. “There’s a herd of peryton that live nearby and a nest of gryphons. The most concerning thing is the fey lake around here,” he circled a small area with charcoal. “But keep your wits about you and you should be fine.”

“Any paths that aren't gonna have some type of death trap?” Jesse laughed.

“Unfortunately not,” Jack said, voice serious. “The Black Peaks are deadly, if you hadn't worked with Ana, I wouldn’t consider sending you. No matter how many pegs Gabe needs to get knocked down, or however many sticks he needs to pull out of his ass.”

“That’s reassurin’,” Jesse said. “Any chance I could get you to come with? Since you seem to know the area well enough.”

“I’m tied up here for a while,” Jack sighed. “Or else I’d offer to lead you through the mountains myself.”

Jesse pursed his lips, it wasn't like he hadn't been through worse situations in the past, but trekking through the Black Peaks alone ranked pretty high up in his list of bad ideas. He didn't really want to die being a wyvern snack, gored through by a peryton, or confronting an angry dragon. But, he didn't have a lot of options, and he found he was trusting Jack more and more.

“I’ll do it,” Jesse nodded. “Do you have a copy of that map I could take with me?”

“Just take this one, nobody will miss it. This armory’s all my stuff anyway. I pretty much created this academy.”

Jesse let out a low whistle, “I’m impressed, Jack.”

“What can I say?” Jack shrugged. “I’m an impressive man with a large amount of coin. But take whatever weapons you need, though I’d ask you to let me keep Ana’s khopesh.”

“Yeah, that’s understandable,” Jesse nodded. “The adamant short sword I still feel like is too much.”

“Jesse, I’ve never used it and never will. You’ll get more use of it on Black Peaks than I ever will.”

“I’ll return it to you when I get back,” Jesse promised.

“No, keep it, it’s yours,” Jack shook his head. “It’ll just gather dust here. Everything I’m giving you is yours to keep.”

“I-- thank you, Jack,” Jesse said, suddenly choked up.

Jack smiled, “Again, I like helping people, and you deserve the help.”

\---

Jesse stood at the edge of town, staring at the ominous mountains in the distance. Next to him was a horse saddled with gear, food, and blankets. The old excitement he felt when he was about to start a new adventure surged in his gut.

“Good luck, Jesse,” Jack patted Jesse on the shoulder as he helped him load up his horse with the last of his gear. “Take good notes on the hand cannon for me.”

“If I have to use it,” Jesse laughed. “I’ll see you soon, Jack.”

“Might be sooner than you think,” Jack grinned. “And do me a favor.”

“What’s up?”

“Don't mention me to Gabe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me online @smalls2233


	3. Chapter 3

Jesse stared at the snow covered pass in front of him with a frown. He knew that there would be snow in the Black Peaks, it had already started dusting the streets of the small town he had been staying at several weeks ago, but there was a thick blanket of it already on the ground.

He was already too far along to turn back. He left town two days previously, stopping only to give the horse a break. As an elf, he needed less sleep than a human, but the horse needed the rest. So he spent the time resting the horse taking down small fowl and animals with the shortbow Jack insisted he take with him.

He figured that he’d be glad for the store of meat he smoked while letting the horse sleep if he ended up being snowed in at the Black Peaks. The feathers he stripped would come in use if he needed to fashion new arrows. Jesse McCree was nothing if not resourceful, after all. It came from years with the guild, with Reinhardt in his ear making sure he was prepared for every potential situation.

Of course, Rein told him to stay away from dragons, so maybe he didn't learn as much from Reinhardt as he thought he did.

“Jesse McCree, you fool,” Jesse murmured to himself as he pulled out the map Jack had given him. Several of the potential paths Jack had marked out for him looked already impassible due to the snow, which was lightly falling around Jesse and sticking to his hair. Fuck, he hated the snow.

Jesse alternated between staring at the map and looking around as he tried to figure out just where the path Jack had mentioned as potentially the easiest began.

He breathed out a sigh of relief, it looked like that path was mostly clear. He nudged his horse, a large beast made for the cold mountain paths, forward. The snow was beginning to pick up and he wanted to get started on the path before it became impassible.

“Come on, sugarcube,” Jesse murmured as he tried to get the horse moving. She whinnied and stomped a hoof, unmoving. “What’s the problem?” Jesse asked, looking around to see if he could figure out what was spooking her. “There a weird stick or somethin’? Dunno why I’m askin’, ain't like you can understand me.”

The horse shook her head and took a few cautious steps backwards. Jesse tried to calm her, stroking her neck and grabbing hold of the reins tightly to get her to still. “Relax,” he said in a soothing tone, he couldn't see anything in the area that should have spooked the horse, but she was getting more and more agitated by the second.

Jesse held on for dear life as the horse bucked. It was at that moment that he realized what was causing the agitation. Above him, a massive dragon crossed the cloudy sky, blue scales and golden feathers gleaming bright.

He swore loudly and reached for his crossbow with one hand, the other wrapped tightly around the panicked horse’s reins. He wasn't sure if the dragon had spotted him, he didn't want to stick around to find out.

Unfortunately, though, he didn't have much control over his horse. “Come on, Athena, calm down,” he murmured, stroking her mane, trying to get the horse to focus on anything _other_ than the dragon. He kept a wary eye on the sky, fearful of the dragon swooping down.

Jack had said that the blue dragon would leave him alone, but fear still boiled in his gut. Even from the distance, the dragon was huge as it flew through the sky on feathered wings. His hand was steady on the crossbow, thanks to years of training to keep his aim true, but he was terrified.

The dragon circled above him, almost lazily, for a few, heart racing moments. If there was any hope that the dragon hadn't spotted him, it was quickly dashed. Jesse’s finger laid on the trigger of the crossbow, ready to release an adamant tipped bolt if the dragon got too close.

Jesse’s breath was ragged and nervous as those blue scales shimmered above him. Every part of his body was screaming at him to abandon the horse and run back to town, back to Jack. But just when he was about to crack, the dragon stopped its circling. It began to make its way into the depths of the Black Peaks.

Jesse took a few minutes to calm his breathing and to let his heartbeat return to normal before he tried getting the horse moving again. He didn't want to stick around in the entrance to the Black Peaks any longer than he had to. If one of the dragons knew he was there, he didn't want to risk Gabriel finding out and stopping him before he could even begin to try.

With a weary sigh, Jesse nudged his horse forward. Blessedly, she obeyed that time and slowly began to trot through the freshly fallen snow, up the mountain path.

\---

“Fuckin’ snow,” Jesse swore loudly as he forced his horse to a stop. He had made good time on his travels for the past two days, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of either of the two dragons, just a large amount of black wolves, ravens, and owls. So of course something had to get in his way.

That something, was a massive tree, weighed down enough with snow that it had crashed in the middle of the path. Jesse eyed the thick, dark pine forest around him. He didn't want to get off of the path, there was a feylake nearby, and he didn't want to become some fae’s evening entertainment.

“Yes, of course stealin’ from a dragon’s a good idea, Jesse,” he said to himself, frowning deeply as he hopped off his horse and tied her to a tree. “What could go wrong? Ain't like you're in a place that you were banned from goin’ to in the summer, let alone in the end of autumn.” He sighed loudly through his nose as he inspected the tree in front of him and realized he was incorrect in what had felled it. It wasn't the weight of the snow, no the ancient tree seemed to have been clawed or bitten down by something.

“Gods dammit,” he swore. He couldn't tell what manner of beast the claw marks were from, but they looked to be from something slightly larger than his horse. Slightly larger, and with claws and teeth sharp enough to carve through the hard wood of the pine.

“This is just what I needed, some giant fuckin’ beast lurkin’ around when I’m right by the feylake. Fuckin’ knew this was goin’ by too easy,” he scowled to himself as he pulled out his crossbow and loaded several enchanted and adamant tipped bolts to its reserve.

He had no way to move the ancient tree as he was, and he wasn't about to spend the time trying to figure out a way to move it. Not when some _beast_ was lurking around. His only option was to try to stick as close to the path as possible and pray to the gods that he didn't come across that beast or any bored fae.

“Come on, Athena,” Jesse cooed soothingly as he hopped onto the horse, one hand on the reins, the other on his crossbow. “Let’s get moving.”

The horse whinnied and shook her head, but a soft tap with Jesse’s spurs got her moving. Jesse could feel her reluctance to leave the path as she cautiously stepped into the dark woods. He was in the same boat, all of the trees around the two of them looked the same, and he felt countless eyes on him. He was unsure if it was the eyes of the wolves and birds that had been trailing him, or it was the eyes of the fey.

“Why are you here, so far away from home, elf?” A smooth, male voice asked.

Jesse spun his head around and whipped his crossbow out. The source of the voice was a tall, dark skinned man wearing golden crown of twisting branches. Most of his body was obscured by a dark robe and a feathered cape, but Jesse could see his muscled, powerful arms.

“What's it matter to you, stranger?” Jesse asked, voice guarded.

The man raised an eyebrow, “Do all elves barge into somebody’s home and point a weapon at them?”

“Wouldn't be bargin’ into the forest if some beast hadn't torn down trees,” Jesse replied. “I’m just plannin’ on gettin’ back to the path, fae, so don't worry nothin’. I’ll be outta your hair in no time.”

“You think I’m fae?” The man laughed. “Oh, dear elf, you couldn't be more wrong.”

Jesse frowned, “If you ain't fae, what are you doin’ by the feylake?”

“Asks the elf, traveling in the woods that the Reaper has gifted to the fey,” the man replied. “I’m the master of this land, you may call me Reyes.”

“Well, Reyes. I’m just an old adventurer tryin’ something new,” it wasn't _exactly_ a lie. Jesse had never traversed a mountain alone when it was nearly winter, about to raid a dragon’s hoard.

“I’ll pretend to believe that,” Reyes said as he leaned against a tree. A black wolf slunk out from the dark woods and sat, pressed close to Gabriel. He rest a clawed hand on its head, “I’m sure my friends have plenty of stories to tell me.”

Jesse bit back a swear, he should have known there was something unnatural with the animals trailing him. “I ain't here for trouble, Reyes,” he said.

“Yet, you have a crossbow with an adamant tipped bolt pointed straight at my heart,” Reyes sounded casual, as if the weapon was of no concern to him.

“What are you?” Jesse asked.

Reyes grinned, his mouth was filled with sharp, pointed teeth, “You should be careful, Jesse. There’s beasts about.”

“What do you me--” Jesse started, eyes wide in panic. But before he could finish his thought, Reyes and the wolf disappeared in a puff of smoke, a deep laugh trailing behind.

Jesse swore loudly as he kicked his horse to get her moving. He didn't trust Reyes, didn't trust that Reyes hadn't been keeping him there to waste his time so whatever knocked down that tree could come back.

Jesse tore through the trees at a breakneck pace. He felt blood well on his cheeks as the pine needles scratched his face, and his lungs were burning with the cold air. He let go of the reins in order to bring his scarf up to cover his tender ears and mouth, to try and ease the burning sensation in his lungs.

He still felt eyes on him, but he didn't want to look behind him. Maybe it was Reyes or whatever beasts that he had trailing Jesse, or it could have been a fae or the large beast. Either way, Jesse wasn't going to stick around to find out.

When Jesse finally slowed down, he realized he had no clue where he was. In his panic to get away from whatever he imagined could be there, he strayed from his goal of keeping to the path. He swore viciously as he looked around, trying to figure out where he was in the dark forest.

There were no discerning features, every tree looked the same, and going back the way he came was asking for a world of trouble. So Jesse picked a direction and had his horse begin to trot that way. He wanted to get out of the forest before it got dark. Being stuck in the fey’s lands at night was low on his list of preferred activities.

About an hour into his journey, Jesse began to lose hope. The only sign that he wasn't leading his horse in circles was the trail of hoofprints behind him. The forest was the same, just vast swaths of trees and pristine patches of snow. He forced himself to stay calm, panicking was what got him into this situation, only a clear head could get him out.

If he could just find a clearing, he could look at the sky and get some semblance as to where he was. But the forest was thick, so he made himself continue on. He would have to reach a clearing at some point. He just needed to stay calm. To stay rational.

“Thanks, Reyes,” Jesse shouted loudly, knowing that Reyes was probably monitoring him through the eyes of the animals he felt watching him in the shadows. “Mighty kind of you to get me lost in the fucking fey’s forest.”

A raven with multiple, blood red eyes hopped onto a low hanging branch next to him and squawked loudly. Jesse frowned and waved it away. He didn't want the beast near him.

The raven squawked indignantly before flying to another branch, a few meters away, and squawked again.

“Hell no, I ain't followin’ you,” Jesse scowled at the bird. It cawed in response and flew up next to him. “Back off, bird, there’s no way in the seven hells I’m trustin’ you.”

The raven pecked at him, only furthering Jesse’s frustration. “Back _off_ ,” he snapped. “Go tell your master to go fuck himself.”

Jesse heard the low growls of wolves behind him, “Great, now there’s more of you.” He glared at the raven, “Decide you needed to bully me into following you?” He asked the raven. “Either a pack of wolves or a devil of a bird?”

The raven squawked out a response and flew over to a branch in front of Jesse. “Fine, I’ll follow you,” he scowled. “Fuckin’ devil birds, fuckin’ feylake, fuckin’ _Reyes_.”

He followed the bird for an uneasy half hour. It led him through a twisting path of trees, and Jesse could see the shining eyes of fey watching him and the bird. At one point, a fae child with skin like obsidian came close to approaching him, only to be sent away with a growl and the snapping teeth of one of Reyes’ black wolves.

His heart raced in his chest each time he saw a fae. His childhood was spent with his ma and pa warning him of the dangers of the fey that lurked in the desert. How they stole children away, ate the hearts of men, made deals in order to own a person. They had been killed when a group of displaced fey overtook his small farming village, slaughtering nearly everybody. After that he had been displaced to a human city, a street rat that a gang picked up until Ana and Reinhardt saved him.

A wolf nudged at his foot with its wet nose and stared up at Jesse with its head cocked, as if it noticed his thoughts. “I’m fine,” Jesse said. “Just don't like this place. Brings back bad memories.”

The wolf whined softly as it plodded next to him. He resisted the urge to run his hand through its silky fur, instead he focused on how it was the wolf’s master’s fault he was even _in_ this situation.

Jesse breathed a sigh of relief when he saw light beginning to filter through the trees in the distance. He was almost free of the hellish forest surrounding him. Almost back to the path, back on track.

At least that’s what he thought. Instead, as he approached the edge of the trees, the air began warming and he heard the lapping of water in the distance. His eyes widened in panic, “No, no, _no,_ you can't be bringin’ me to the feylake.”

The wolf at his foot chuffed and shook its fur, as if to say, “What’d you expect?” And the raven ahead of him cawed.

Jesse scowled, “I ain’t goin’ there.” He tried turning his horse around, but was stopped by the feeling of teeth wrapped around his ankle.

“I didn't come this far to be murdered by a fae,” Jesse snapped, trying to shake his ankle free from the maw of the wolf, but the massive animal stayed firm.

Jesse scowled deeply, “ _Fine_ , but unless Reyes is plannin’ on takin’ me straight to Ga--” he cut himself off as he realized what he was about to admit to Reyes’ beast. “Reyes better not be leavin’ me there,” he amended his statement.

The wolf let go of his ankle and Jesse slowly had his horse plod onwards. He loosened his scarf as they reached the treeline, it was almost too hot for his long coat and furs, but he had no easy way to remove them.

Jesse breathed out a shaky breath as he left the woods. In front of him, a herd of peryton grazed next to a large, emerald lake. It would have been a breathtaking sight, with the trees and the mountains in the background, if Jesse hadn't known the lake for the trap that it was.

Nervously, he hopped off of his horse and ran a hand through his beard. He didn't want to stick around the feylake for too long, already, the sun was beginning its descent. But he needed to figure out a way to return to the path.

“Hey buddy,” he cooed as a peryton fawn cautiously came close to him. He knelt down, setting the map he had just pulled up onto the ground next to him, and held a hand out. The small creature nervously sniffed at his hand and rubbed against it. Jesse chuckled and scratched behind its ears.

The fawn bleated and stretched out her wings as Jesse continued petting her. She walked closer to Jesse on wobbly legs and laid down at his feet. “You like this, bud?” He grinned, temporarily forgetting the dangers of the feylake. “You’re a cute little beastie, ain’t you?” He ran a hand along the soft baby down on its haunches. He wondered if Fareeha or Angela had come across any peryton on their journeys together. The next time he saw them, because there _would_ be a next time he told himself, he’d have to ask them.

Jesse was so caught up on petting the peryton fawn that he didn't notice the panicked bleating of the herd. No, he didn’t notice until he felt the vibrations in the ground as the herd began running and flying. Jesse swore loudly, picking up the fawn in one arm, his short sword in the other, as he looked around for what could have been causing the disturbance.

His eyes landed on a pair of gryphons, swooping in and clawing at members of the pack. He had to get out of there, before he got trampled by the panicked peryton. The fawn in his arm bleated in panic, hooves and clawed feet swinging as he ran.

He had calmed herds of cattle when he grew up, but they didn't have wings, razor sharp hooves, and antlers. He needed to get to his horse and get _out_ of there. Especially with the two gryphons on the hunt.

He turned around to get onto his horse, but she had already bolted. “ _Fuck_ ,” Jesse swore loudly as he searched for her. The peryton were getting closer and his horse was nowhere to be found.

His eyes landed on her eventually, she was being corralled by several of the wolves. The problem laid in the fact that an ocean of panicked peryton laid between him and the horse.

Jesse was about to make a run for her when he got blindsided by a peryton. Its wing slammed into his face and he spun around, barely catching himself from falling.

He narrowly ducked to avoid the hooves of a peryton that had leaped into the sky, powerful wings propelling it. He dodged a few more, but he was in the thick of the herd. Wings battered him as he tried to think of a way to get out without being trampled, but the only way he could think of was to jump onto the back of a peryton and pray it didn't get attacked by one of the swooping gryphons.

Just as he was about to implement his plan, Jesse felt a piercing pain in his side. He held back a scream of pain as he looked down and saw a golden horn poking through his belly, coated in blood.

The peryton that had gored him shook its head, trying to get loose of the two hundred pound man impaled on its antlers. Jesse couldn't bite back his scream as the horn tore through him. More wings shook him about as the last of the herd passed him and the peryton he was stuck to.

His breath came out in short, panicked huffs as the peryton pulled free of him and he landed on his knees, clutching his belly. His hands felt sticky with his own blood and he wondered if that was how he was going to die. Alone, by a feylake.

A choked sob ripped free from his lips as he collapsed onto the ground. The peryton fawn nosed at his neck and bleated. Jesse didn't have the strength to push her away, just _breathing_ made it feel like he was getting gored through again.

When he heard the thunderous clap of wings, Jesse wondered if it was over for him. If he was going to die to become food for the gryphons.

He didn't expect to hear a rumbling, male voice sounding concerned, “ _Fool_ ,” he spat. “You couldn't have waited.”

Jesse raised his head and bit back a scream of fear. Staring at him was a dragon with matte black and white scales. A mane of feathers trailed down his neck and Jesse tried crawling away.

“Stay still,” the dragon, Gabriel, growled. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

“S-stay back,” Jesse stammered weakly.

“I’m not going to _hurt you_ ,” Gabriel huffed. Jesse tracked smoke as it left his nostrils. “Stay still so I can help you.” Realization dawned on Jesse as he realized he recognized the voice, and the ways the animals crowded around the dragon.

“You’re, you’re--” Jesse shook his head in fear.

More smoke left Gabriel’s nostrils as he cut off Jesse, “Just breathe and fall asleep.” Gabriel lowered his head in front of Jesse’s. He started exhaling out thick, black smoke and Jesse’s eyes widened in panic. He held his breath immediately, terrified of whatever Gabriel was doing.

His body betrayed him, though, and before long he took in a deep, gasping breath, letting the smoke in. “Good elf,” Gabriel rumbled as he raised his head up. The last thing Jesse saw before he passed out was a raven with blood red eyes perching on Gabriel’s broken horn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That sure got... gory AAAY  
> I'll see myself out now  
> anyway, I'm adding pictures to each chapter (or at least, most chapters) and I should have an illustration done and added in the next couple of days lol  
> \---  
> Follow me online @smalls2233


	4. Chapter 4

Jesse awoke with a jolt, his body physically unable to stay asleep any longer. He was alone in the cavernous lair of Gabriel’s save for a single black wolf and the peryton fawn. His breathing was ragged as his eyes darted around the cavern, taking stock of the neatly organized piles of jewels, gold, weapons, and manuscripts.

Wrapped around him were massive, thick pelts. What animal they were from, Jesse was unsure. But they kept the chill out.

As Jesse stirred, so did the peryton fawn that was nestled next to him. She bleated and tried to snuggle closer to Jesse as he sat up, wincing as the wound on his side stretched painfully.

“He brought you back here too, huh?” Jesse said as he picked the fawn up and rested her on his lap. He stroked her soft fur and fluffy down as he thought. “You’re gonna need a name, ain't you? How about Besse?”

Bessie bleated, and Jesse took that as approval enough. He scratched at the tiny nubs of her antlers and went back to appraising the lair around him. It was lit by some form of luminous lichen and glowing stones, probably enchanted. It was far enough back from the mouth of the cave that Jesse wasn't sure which way would lead out.

The cavern wasn't cold and he had furs and a small animal laying on him, but Jesse still felt cold. No doubt due to the healing wound on his body. He shivered and drew the furs closer to his body as Bessie laid her head down on his lap. He wanted to get up and see if he could find a way out of the lair, but he didn't want to disturb her. Not to mention the fact that any movements from him made his wound burn in pain.

Jesse took stock of his wound. He was shirtless, stomach wrapped in what looked like fresh bandages and he wondered if Gabriel had been taking care of him.

Jesse whistled to get the wolf’s attention, “Your master do all of this?” He asked as the wolf trotted over to him. Similar to the raven, this wolf had an eerie amount of red eyes and it's teeth were too pointed for it to be anything natural.

The wolf sniffed at his stomach and whined softly. Jesse frowned, “That a good whine or a bad whine?” The wolf just stared at him, all seven eyes unblinking. “Can you understand me? Chuff for yes, whine for no.”

The wolf chuffed and Jesse’s frown deepened, “Is Gabriel here?” A whine. “Do you know where he is?” A chuff. “Is he paying attention to this?” A chuff. Because of course he’s be paying attention. “Am I free to go?” A whine. “Am I a prisoner?” Another whine and Jesse’s frown turned into a scowl. “So why can't I le-- you can't answer that you're a wolf. Do you know how long I’ve been asleep?” A chuff. “Longer than a day?” A chuff. “Longer than a week?” Another chuff. “Longer than a month?” A whine. “Have I been out for two weeks?” A whine and the wolf pawed at the ground. “Three?” The wolf chuffed and yipped.

Jesse took that as an enthusiastic yes and groaned. Jack should have long been expecting him back at that point. He needed to get out of Gabriel’s lair quickly so he could return to town and accept his loss.

The wolf nosed at his exposed shoulder, drawing Jesse out of his thoughts. “What’s up?” He asked while the wolf trotted a few steps away, stayed still for a few moments, then came back to him and repeated the process. “I ain't gettin’ up,” Jesse said, brows knit together.

The wolf yipped and head butted Jesse gently before trotting of to some other corner of the lair, searching for something. Jesse wanted to take the opportunity to go search the cavern, but even the thought of moving made his side twinge.

He needed to figure out how to get out before Gabriel came back. Or, at the very least, find his clothes and his weapons. There were piles of weapons in Gabriel’s hoard, but taking something from the hoard while Gabriel was nearby seemed like a bad idea.

Hell, if he wanted any chance of getting out of the Black Peaks, he needed to find his horse before he could even worry about his weapons. But he couldn't see nor hear her. He hoped that she was somewhere else in the cave system that made up Gabriel’s lair, but he was unconvinced. She was only a little smaller than Gabriel, and he doubted Gabriel was able to carry her up the mountain.

The wolf trotted back to Jesse, it carried something wrapped in leaves in its mouth. Jesse eyed the parcel suspiciously when it was dropped next to him, but the wolf grabbed his livingwood hand in its mouth and forced him to grab hold of it.

Whatever it was, it was warm under the leaves and Jesse warily picked it up and began unwrapping it. As he unwrapped the parcel, his mouth began watering at the smell of spiced meat and root vegetables that erupted. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he had probably not eaten in the weeks he was asleep, and he ravenously tore into the food. It was delicious, it was warm, and it was gone far too soon.

“Hungry?” An amused rumble came from Gabriel.

Jesse whipped his head around to see Gabriel setting down a huge boar he must have taken down. It was bigger than any boar Jesse had seen in his life with massive, curling tusks and coarse, wiry fur.

“You would be too, if you were out for three weeks,” Jesse scowled.

“Relax, elf,” Gabriel flicked his tail in Jesse’s direction and walked into the troves of treasure he had stored. “Do you know how to make a fire?” He called.

“What’s it matter to you?” Jesse asked warily.

“Well, I don't think elves eat raw boar, but I could be wrong.”

Jesse’s mouth watered at the thought of boar. “Yeah,” he said after a moment. “I know how to start a fire,” he wouldn't have been a good adventurer if he didn't know how to start a fire, after all.

Gabriel hummed his approval as he walked back into the open, bundles of logs and kindling in his mouth. The tapping of his claws and hooves was loud in the cavern, and Jesse watched cautiously as Gabriel approached him.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Gabriel dropped the logs and kindling down. “It would be in my rights, you trespassed on _my_ land with the intent to steal from _my_ hoard. But I won't.”

“I need the money,” Jesse saw no point in lying, but his jaw was set firm.

“Yet you carry an adamant sword and adamant tipped crossbow bolts,” Gabriel sounded almost amused. “Tell me, Jesse, who gave those to you?”

Jesse avoided Gabriel’s red, pupiless gaze, “Ain't no matter to you.”

Gabriel snorted, puffs of smoke leaving his nostrils, “It wasn't a man going by the name of Morrison, was it?”

“No,” Jesse said truthfully.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, “This reeks of his meddling,” he grumbled.

“Yeah, well it ain't him,” Jesse said.

“Then tell me, Jesse, who sent you on a fool’s errand to a dragon’s lair?”

“No one,” Jesse lied.

“You don't seem dumb enough to make the decision to traverse the Black Peaks on you own,” Gabriel said, head close enough for Jesse to smell the blood in his breath. He must have caught more animals and ate them before that boar, Jesse realized.

“Even if I had help, I ain't gonna sick a dragon’s attention on them,” Jesse’s lips were pressed thin in a scowl.

“Loyal,” Gabriel hummed in approval, tip of his tail running along Jesse’s shoulders. Jesse tried not to flinch at the contact.

“Why are you in that form?” Jesse asked after a moment. “Wouldn't it be easier to be like how you were when you decided to fuck me over?”

Gabriel bared his teeth in annoyance for a moment before collecting myself, “I didn't decide to fuck you over. How was I supposed to know you’d run deep into the woods? I thought you'd turn around and leave the Black Peaks, or was the tree I knocked over it proof enough for you that these mountains are dangerous?”

“That was you?” Jesse asked. He had assumed it was some larger beast, maybe a fae, not Gabriel. “But still, don't you know how to start a fire shifted?”

“I can't shift right now,” Gabriel turned his head to avoid Jesse’s gaze.

“Why no--”

“Just start the fire,” Gabriel snapped, losing his temper and cutting Jesse off.

“Help me up then,” Jesse said, moving the sleeping Bessie off of his lap and drawing the furs close to her. He didn't think he’d be able to stand up on his own, not with the way the wound in his side burned.

“Are you still not healed?” Gabriel asked as he lowered his head enough for Jesse to grab onto his broken horn.

“I haven't looked at it, but it hurts like a bitch when I move,” Jesse said as he wrapped his fingers around the broken stump.

“After you start the fire, remove the bandages so I can look at it,” Gabriel ordered as he lifted his head up, raising Jesse to a standing position.

“Why are you bein’ so helpful?” Jesse asked warily, wincing as his wound stretched painfully.

“I don't like letting people die,” Jesse could _hear_ the scowl in Gabriel’s voice, even if the dragon couldn’t physically scowl. “Not even trespassing elves.”

He wasn't sure how to respond to Gabriel’s words, so he ignored them as he held onto Gabriel’s horn for support and walked over to the pile of wood. “You got flint and steel?” Jesse asked.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, “Can I trust you with a dagger?”

“I ain't gonna _stab_ you,” Jesse scowled. “Not like a dagger could do much to a dragon.”

“No, it couldn't, but I don't want you ruining my stuff.”

“Because of course that’s what you should be worried about,” Jesse grumbled.

Gabriel ignored him, “Can you stand on your own?”

“I think so?” Jesse said as he let go of Gabriel’s horn. His legs were wobbly, no doubt thanks to spending three weeks passed out, but he was able to stay standing.

“Stay there,” Gabriel ordered as he walked off.

Jesse frowned, he didn't like the situation he was in. Even if Gabriel was being, well not exactly kind, but helpful, hospitable.

Now that he was standing, free of Bessie, he took a moment to more closely examine the state of his wounds. The bandages were wrapped tight around his waist, outer layers clean and white, free from any crimson of his blood. “Did you do this?” Jesse called, hesitantly. “This bandage, that is,” he clarified.

“You were going to bleed out if I didn't,” came Gabriel’s response along with the loud noise of metal rattling.

Jesse took a deep breath, “Thank you,” he said softly.

There was no response from Gabriel so Jesse went back to examining his wounds. He carefully unwrapped the bandages, wincing in pain as it tugged at his wound from where it was stuck on with dried blood.

It looked like the wound had mostly healed in the weeks he had been asleep, but it was still red and inflamed. He frowned as he stared at it, wondering if it was infected. “You got any healin’ herbs?” He asked as he prodded the tender area with a finger. It hurt like a bitch and it felt warm, definitely infected.

Not like that was much of a surprise, the gods only knew what had been on the peryton’s antlers. Still, it was no wonder his wound was still painful if it had been sitting with an infection. He was lucky it wasn't rancid, it wasn't leaking fluids or anything, but the inflamed infection was still worrisome.

Gabriel walked out of his hoard, ornate dagger and plain flint in his maw. He set them down in front of Jesse and sniffed at his wound. “I have healing herbs, I put an initial poultice on you but it must not have done anything.”

Jesse frowned, “What did you use? Some herbs work on humans but not on elves.”

Gabriel flicked the tip of his tail in annoyance, “I used what I used on elves in the past.”

“Yeah, well, do you have any Lady’s breath?” He asked, running through the herbs that were best for treating infection in his mind. He had never been the best students when it came to poultices and herbs, Angela had that taken care of. But she had used enough of that herb on him when he lost his eye and his arm to counter infection that he knew it by heart.

“Lady’s breath?” Gabriel cocked his head in confusion.

“You know, white flowers, curling leaves, smells kinda like mint,” Jesse explained. “It grows in most places, Ana, uh, Ana Amari that is, used to make teas from its dried flowers and leaves.”

Gabriel’s eyes widened in surprise and he stared at Jesse, “You know Ana Amari?”

Jesse let out a sharp breath, “Knew her, but yeah. We were… We were close.”

Gabriel stared at Jesse, “Knew? Is she dead?”

“She died three months ago, four now, I guess. Same attack by a rival guild, Talon, that lost me my eye and my arm,” Jesse said, lips tight. He inhaled shakily before continuing on, “Talon had been experimentin’ with dark magic, took control of Amelie LaCroix in order to kill Gerard. She did such a good job, they had her kill Ana too. I was a side casualty.” He flexed his livingwood hand as he spoke, staring at the luminous wood instead of at Gabriel. He didn’t want his pity, he didn’t want to hear any further condolences about Ana.

“ _Talon_ ,” Gabriel growled darkly. Jesse’s gaze darted up immediately, he hadn’t expected the pure venom to drip from his voice. The scarred visage of Gabriel’s face was contorted in rage, making him an even more fearsome sight than he was previously.

The rage in Gabriel made Jesse cautious, and he spoke slowly, “You’re familiar with them?”

Gabriel bared his teeth as his claws dug deep into the stone ground, “They’re the reason I’m like this. _Morrison_ is the reason I’m like this.”

“Like what?” Jesse asked, confused. He hadn’t noticed anything different about Gabriel than he would expect from any dragon.

“Cursed,” Gabriel hissed. “The trusting idiot got us _cursed_.”

Jesse’s jaw worked for a few moments as he tried to figure out the words to say, “What happened?” He asked after a moment.

Gabriel lashed his tail as he walked back into his hoard, “I can only shift forms for two hours a day. I can only leave the Black Peaks for a week every month. Morrison has the opposite problem. He can only return to his true form for two hours a day, can only return to the Black Peaks for a week every month.” His voice drifted as he disappeared from view.

Jesse took the time to kneel down, wincing in pain, and pick up the flint and steel dagger. He struck it onto the pile of kindling to get the beginnings of a fire, and then placed logs on top of and around the lit kindling to get a fire started. He thought as he stared at the flickering flames, he thought about the timing of Morrison’s return to the Black Peaks. He had suspicions that Morrison was somebody he had seen in town, had associated with.

But he hadn’t talked to many people, just the inn keepers and bar maids for the most part. And he didn’t think that any dragon would be working to barely scrape by at an inn. Nor would a dragon likely run a shop. So that just left the few people he had associated with. Most of them were travellers like himself. The only one who stood out as someone who stayed in that town the most, the town closest to the edge of the Black Peaks, was Jack.

_Jack._

Jesse clenched his fist at the realization. It all made sense to him, Jack, the eccentric human. Wealthy and odd, the strange way he would word things, his not quite denials, his familiarity with Gabriel. The way he had insisted on Jesse not stealing from the blue dragon’s hoard.

Jesse had come to steal from a dragon because of another dragon. He swore bitterly and softly. He couldn’t let Gabriel know that it _was_ Morrison who had told him to steal from his lair. Even if Jesse hadn’t known their history, hadn’t known that Jack was a dragon, he didn’t know how Gabriel would react to the revelation of Jesse’s familiarity with Morrison.

“I have some of the tea bases Ana had made with Lady’s Breath,” Gabriel walked out from his hoard, tin of tea in his mouth. “Would the dried flowers work?”

Jesse knew a change of topic when he heard one, and knew that Gabriel would be unwilling to discuss the curse further. “I think so, we’d need to hydrate them and make a paste,” he said, holding his hand out for the tin. Gabriel dropped it in his hand, and Jesse winced at the feeling of the metal that was wet from Gabriel’s mouth.

“So I’m guessing that means I have to get a mortar and pestle,” Gabriel said dryly. “I didn’t realize that I became your servant.”

Jesse laughed despite himself, “You’re the one with the knowhow of the hoard. I ain’t about to go diggin’ through your shit to find a mortar and pestle.”

“No, just all my gold and jewels,” Gabriel said with a deep, throaty purr. “Anything else that you’ll need?”

Jesse eyed the boar, “Probably somethin’ to skin that beastie and carve it up, some water too. Now that I’m thinkin’ about it, teacups and a kettle might not be remiss either.”

“You pick up tea making from Ana?” Gabriel asked.

Jesse licked his lips and stared at the leaves in the metal container in his hands, “Hard not to around her,” he said softly.

“How did you know her?” Gabriel asked, his voice was almost gentle, but not pitying.

“We were,” Jesse took a moment to consider his words. “Lovers, I suppose. Not partners or mates or anythin’, though she’d help me out durin’ my heats.”

“Heats?” Gabriel cocked his head.

Jesse felt his face burn, “It’s an elf thing. Don’t worry about it none.”

Gabriel wasn’t giving up, “Ana never went through heats when she travelled with Morrison and me.”

Jesse’s flush deepened, “Look, there’s different sex types in elves, and Ana was one of them that don’t get heats.”

“And you do. What other differences are there?”

“Gabriel, I just met you, I ain’t about to start explainin’ the sexual differences in elves and how they pertain to me personally.”

Gabriel blinked slowly and walked off, “You can’t blame a dragon for being curious.”

“And you can’t blame me for not wantin’ to talk about it,” Jesse replied. Explaining parts of his biology to Jack had been awful enough, and they were sleeping together. Jesse wasn’t planning on sleeping with Gabriel. No, he just wanted to get out of the Black Peaks as quickly as possible.

Jesse opened up the tin of dried Lady’s Breath and inhaled the familiar scent deeply. He had drank a lot of Lady’s Breath tea while Angela crafted the livingwood arm for him. It had helped him feel close to Ana as much as it had kept infection away. He wasn’t sure how effective the dried leaves would be for a poultice, but it had to be better than letting his wound fester.

After ten or fifteen minutes, Gabriel came back out, a bucket hanging from his mouth full of various items and green leaves. He set the bucket down next to Jesse and laid down. His large head rested on his front paws and his tail twitched in interest as Jesse inspected the contents of the bucket.

“I grabbed some comfrey, honey, and garlic as well,” Gabriel said. Jesse thought he sounded almost proud of his herbal sense. “I don’t know if it works on elves, but fireweed is commonly used by dragons to bring down fevers.”

Jesse pulled the different leaves and items out of the bucket. “Is it this red plant?” He asked, running his fingers along the smooth stalk and bright leaves.

Gabriel nodded, “It’s potent and only grows where dragons live.”

“That explains why I’ve never seen it before,” Jesse pursed his lips and sniffed the plant. It had a spicy scent, somewhere between cinnamon and a hot pepper. “What other uses does it have?”

Gabriel hummed, “I’ve heard of humans using it in soups and teas. We dragons tend to only use it in poultices.”

Jesse nodded as he grabbed the mortar and pestle and began dumping ingredients into it. He wasn’t confident about the ingredients for the poultice. But he thought he had seen Angela use them all, except for fireweed, separately, so they had to do something. He slowly mashed all of the herbs, honey, and some water together until a thick paste formed. It smelled terrible, the fresh scents of Lady’s Breath and fireweed contrasting unpleasantly with the garlic. But all poultices smelled terrible to him, so he assumed he was doing something right.

Before applying the poultice to himself, Jesse poured water and dried lady’s breath into the kettle and set it by the fire to boil. That way, he didn’t taint any flavors with the disgusting mixture he was about to spread onto his wounds with his hands.

Jesse felt Gabriel’s eyes watching him with interest as he washed first his hands, then his wounds thoroughly before scooping some of the paste out with his fingers and spreading it onto his wounds. It burned at first, but the Lady’s Breath provided relief from the burn almost immediately. He applied a generous amount of the poultice to the entry and exit wounds on his side and belly before rewrapping the wounds.

“Have you done this before?” Gabriel asked, voice curious as he watched Jesse.

“Nah, I had a friend who took care of this shit for me back in the guild,” Jesse shrugged as he washed the remainder of the poultice off of his hands. They would reek of garlic for days.

“What about after the guild?”

Jesse pursed his lips, “I just stayed out of trouble. Or tried to, at least.”

“I find it hard to believe that trouble stayed away from you,” Gabriel sounded amused.

“No, I swear, this is the most excitement I’ve had in months. Before that, it was gettin’ kicked out of taverns and inns,” Jesse laughed, holding his hands up.

“So then what made you decide to come steal from me?” Gabriel asked.

Jesse pursed his lips and sighed, “I was almost out of coin and a handsome stranger made it sound easy.”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, “Are you _sure_ it wasn’t Morrison? Blonde, blue eyes, two large scars?”

Jesse’s ears flicked, Gabriel had essentially confirmed to him that Jack was Morrison, but Jesse didn’t want to throw Jack under the bus. He had a feeling that Jack was playing some greater game, and he didn’t want to fuck things up for him. “Nah, it was just some human I met,” he lied.

Gabriel opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by the sound of wings flapping. Both he and Jesse whipped their heads to the direction of the sound at the same time. “Speak of the devil, and the devil will come,” Gabriel muttered bitterly.

“Gabe,” Jack called as he trotted into the cavern. He was massive, easily three or four times the size of Gabriel with blue scales and golden feathers that glinted in the weak light. “I need to talk with you.”

“And I need to talk with you about trespassing onto my territory,” Gabriel grumbled. “What do you want? Better make it short.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy halloween first lol  
> also shoutout to ash (nebulousroyalty on twitter) for letting me turn bessie the cow into a peryton with the promise that nothing bad will happen to her  
> \---  
> Follow me online: @smalls2233


	5. Chapter 5

Jack narrowed his eyes as he trotted forward into the cavern and Jesse’s heart pounded in his chest. Jack was _massive_ , probably four feet bigger than Gabriel. Gabriel himself was around eight feet tall from his feet to the top of his head and his body was nearly twelve feet long. The sheer size of Jack was enough to paralyze Jesse as the glimmering scales and feathers bounced light around the room.

“What’s with the attitude, Gabriel?” Jack clicked his beak disapprovingly.

“Boy I wonder,” Gabriel sounded like he would have been scowling if he could. Even though he was much, much smaller than Jack, Gabriel refused to back down from his challenging stance. “What did you need to talk to me about? You don’t have a lot of time you can stay in this form, and I don’t want you parading around _my_ territory as a humanoid.”

“You just don’t want me in your territory full stop,” Jack rolled his eyes as he circled around a few times before lying down. He laid his massive head down on his front paws and stared at Gabriel, “And I’d rather not do this in front of the elf.”

“The elf has a name,” Jesse said, giving Jack a look. He wanted to get Jack alone to ask him just what the _fuck_ his game was.

“Oh?” Jack asked, feigning ignorance. “How many apostrophes does it have?”

“ _Jesse_ ,” Gabriel cut in. “Is still recovering after getting gored by a peryton. On a fucking suicide trip that _somebody_ sent him on. I wonder who it could be.”

“There’s a lot of people in the world,” Jack’s tail flicked, but Jesse could see Jack looking at him, inspecting his wound, with panic in his eyes. So Jack hadn’t wanted him to die, Jesse figured, but he still wasn’t sure what Jack’s purpose of sending Jesse to the Black Peaks was. He had to have known that Gabriel would have been at his lair, almost like Jack _wanted_ Jesse to be caught.

“And none are as meddlesome as you, Morrison,” Gabriel said, his voice dripped with venom.

“The fuck kinda name for a dragon’s Morrison,” Jesse said placing bait down for Jack.

Jack took the bait, blinking slowly as he appraised Jesse warmly. “The fuck kinda name for an elf’s Jesse?”

So Jack knew that Jesse knew, at least that was good. The fuming Gabriel, on the other hand. “Morrison I swear to the gods, if you don’t tell me what you need and get the hell out of my lair—“

Jack rolled over onto his back, exposing his scaled belly, “It’s not appropriate to discuss this around Jesse.”

“He knows about the curse.”

“Gabe—” Jack started

“Don’t ‘Gabe’ me, Morrison.”

“If you would just _work with me_ , Gabe, we could get this curse sorted,” Jack clicked his beak in frustration.

“What have you done to figure out the curse, Morrison?” Gabriel seemed to be absolutely furious, the feathers on his hackles were raised and his teeth were bared. “Because from what I’ve gathered, all you’ve been doing is playing savior to a bunch of humans and getting on my case for not trying to clean up _your_ mess hard enough.”

“Unbelievable,” Jack spat. “Gabriel, you have no idea how much work I’ve done to try and fix this curse. Because at least unlike you, I don’t just stay in my fucking lair and mope about how hard life is.”

“Get out,” Gabriel growled.

“Gabe—“

“I said to _get out_ ,” Gabriel’s voice was quiet and dripping with tranquil fury. “I don’t need your help, Morrison.”

“Are you fucking sure about that?” Jack stood up to tower over Gabriel. “Because I know that Talon would _love_ to get their hands on either of us, and this fucking curse they put on us is only making it easier.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Are we seriously getting into this again?” Jack snapped.

“You say again,” Gabriel said quietly, still trying to reign in his anger. “You’ve _never_ once accepted fault for what you did.”

“I was saving somebody.”

“You got us cursed.”

“I’m not doing this again with you, Gabriel.”

Gabriel slammed one of his back hooves against the floor, “We’re like this because _you_ didn’t consider how suspicious the _obvious_ setup Talon had planted with the archer was.”

“I wasn’t going to let a human die.”

“No, you just wanted the glory and praise for saving another human,” Gabriel narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth as he got into Jack’s personal space.

“Uh,” Jesse interrupted and both dragons’ heads swung to face him. “Look, I don’t know anythin’ about this—“

“You’re right, you—“ Gabriel started to snarl before he caught himself. “I’m not going to finish that, my anger isn’t with you.”

“ _Listen_ to me,” Jesse continued on. “You say Talon did this?”

“It was a human who could bind dragons to his will,” Jack said. He spoke slowly, as if he was forced to carefully choose his words. “He was in danger with a wyvern circling him.”

“He was never in any danger,” Gabriel spat. “He was controlling it.”

“How could I have known that, Gabriel?”

“ _Fuckin’ stop your arguing_ ,” Jesse yelled. “Gods above, you two are terrible.”

“I don’t need your judgement,” Gabriel spat, a growl rumbled from deep within his chest.

“Look, I’m fuckin’ stuck here for the time being since you can’t leave the Peaks for however long and Morrison can only be a dragon for probably another hour today,” Jesse frowned as he stood up. He bit back a moan of pain as the movement tugged at his wound. “And if Talon’s comin’ for you, then I want in on having a shot at taking them down.”

“What does Talon have to do with you?” Jack asked, his head was cocked to the side.

“They killed Ana,” Jesse’s frown deepened and he leaned against the rock wall, chest heaving in pain.

“Jesse, you need to sit down,” Gabriel said slowly. “Your wounds still need time to heal.”

“Gabriel, _you_ need to listen,” Jesse said. “Morrison, who was the man who cursed you?”

Jack stood up and opened his beak, but no noise came out. Frustrated, he shook his massive head and opened and closed his beak several times more before finally saying, “I physically can’t tell you. The one thing I can say about him is that he could bind dragons and dragonkin to his will, he cursed us to be like this.”

Jesse clutched his side and his frown deepened, “When will you be out of the Peaks?” He asked.

“Jesse, please sit down before you pass out,” Gabriel said quietly. An unreadable expression played on Jack’s face as he watched Gabriel slowly approach Jesse and the feathered tip of his tail twitched.

“Gabriel, I’m fine,” Jesse tried to wave Gabriel off, but Gabriel bit his shoulder, light enough for his incredibly sharp teeth not to pierce Jesse’s skin, but firm enough for him to be able to force Jesse down.

“You need to rest,” Gabriel said as he let go of Jesse.

“You didn’t need to bite me,” Jesse frowned.

“You weren’t going to sit down otherwise.”

Jesse rolled his eyes, “But gettin’ on to what I was saying, I have contacts that could look into this—“

“I’m not having strangers get involved with this,” Gabriel growled.

“Look, Gabriel, I ain’t much one for fate or thinkin’ that the gods meddle too much in our lives. But at some point you gotta wonder, was I put into this situation where I could finally get revenge on Talon for a reason?”

“I don’t care about getting revenge on Talon. I want my freedom back.”

Jesse rubbed his eyes with a hand, exhausted already. “Look, point is, the three of us all have a bone to pick with Talon.”

“And _look_ , I’m pretty sure this isn’t because of gods meddling, it’s because of a certain dragon meddling.”

“Gabriel,” Jack started, exasperated.

“Morrison.”

“For fucks’ sake,” Jesse rolled his eyes, he paused for a moment while Bessie climbed onto his lap and curled up. “Look at what you’ve done, you upset Bessie.”

“She probably just wanted to be by you,” Gabriel said.

“Naw, she’s upset because you two keep bickerin’,” Jesse stroked Bessie’s back as she nuzzled closer to him. “But if Morrison could take a few notes into town, I could have some old friends look into this for me.”

“It’s not a bad idea, Gabriel,” Jack said slowly.

Gabriel huffed, a puff of smoke rose from his nostrils, “ _Fine_ , but another concern is about this getting Talon’s attention. At least I’m safe in the Black Peaks.”

“You’re trapped here, Gabriel,” Jack said softly.

“I have a week a month to go wherever I want,” Gabriel said, voice fakely chipper.

“Gabriel…” Jesse said.

Gabriel was silent for a few moments, the tip of his tail flicking was his only movement. “I don’t want to risk anybody else,” his voice was barely above a whisper.

“The contacts I have,” Jesse said, taking a deep breath. “They’re all from the guild, they have as much reason to hate Talon as the two of you.” He ran a hand through his long hair, “They killed Ana, mutilated me. Pretty sure that’s reason enough for us all to want to bring them down.”

“Fine,” Gabriel said, obviously unpleased. “But I’m saying this is a bad idea.”

“Your opinion is noted,” Jack said. “And Jesse hurry up and draft the note, I only have another hour or so until I shift back.” He looked at Gabriel expectantly who grumbled loudly and walked off into his hoard to find a scroll, ink, and a quill.

Jesse took the moment to hiss, “Jack what the _fuck?”_

“Look, I have my reasons,” Jack started.

“That don’t make this right,” Jesse frowned.

“I think you might be able to destroy this curse,” Jack blurted out. “I can’t tell you details, but I think you might be the key.”

“What, do I kiss the dragon and he turns into a prince?” Jesse laughed bitterly.

Jack scoffed, “Gabe never spent much time in a humanoid form in the first place. That was always my thing. But he misses, we both miss, the choice in our forms. And like this our magic is… limited, nowhere near where it used to be.”

Jesse sighed as he leaned against the wall and stroked Bessie with a gentle touch. “So what makes you think I can stop this curse?”

“I wouldn’t be able to tell you even if I tried,” Jack sighed as he laid down onto the cave floor once more. “Just like how I can’t tell you who the,” his beak clacked again as he tried to form the words but couldn’t. “Who the man who cursed us is, I can’t tell you any details on how to stop the curse.”

“Well ain’t that helpful,” Jesse rolled his eyes. “How long has Gabriel been pissed with you?”

“Ever since I did the right thing and tried to save the man who cursed us,” Jack said bitterly. “I didn’t do anything wrong, it’s not my fault this happened.”

“You know,” Jesse said slowly. “Maybe it would help things if you, y’know, apologized. Because it kinda is your fault,” he winced as he finished his sentence, unable to look at Jack.

“It’s not my fault,” Jack said.

Jesse rubbed his eyes, “Jack, you gotta own up to your mistakes. Understand where Gabriel’s coming from, even if his anger’s a little extreme.”

“It wasn’t my mis--”

Jesse cut him off, “Jack, did you or did you not make a call that ended poorly?”

Jack clicked his beak shut, “I did.”

“Well there you have it, you made a mistake. So apologize for it.”

Jack opened his beak to reply, but was stopped by Gabriel walking back into the main area. There was a basket hanging from his jaws that had writing utensils and scrolls in it. He set it down and Jesse eyed Jack, waiting for him to apologize.

There was tense silence until Jack finally stiffly said, “Gabriel, I’m sorry for my lapse in judgement. I should have listened to you saying it seemed like a setup and I shouldn’t have charged in.” Jesse winced as Jack described what happened. He hadn’t expected it to have been _that_ bad. If anybody had gotten Jesse cursed because they refused to have listened to him, he’d be mighty pissed too. He wasn’t even sure if Gabriel would accept it, because the apology sounded forced, and Jesse knew that Jack barely meant it. But it was better than nothing.

There was no response from Gabriel. No snarky comment, no acceptance, just him setting the basket down in front of Jesse and telling him, “Write.” So Jesse did.

\---

_Months later_

News was slow coming. Communications came monthly when Jack was able to make stops in the mountains, and Jack and Gabriel’s relationship was still tense, but it never was nearly as bad as it had been that first day. Jesse slowly healed from his wounds, assisted by Angela sending ingredients and recipes for a poultice early on, and Bessie grew.

So the months were uneventful, but almost pleasant. Jesse found that he truly enjoyed Gabriel’s presence. He never asked too many questions about Ana or his arm, instead he taught Jesse of the Black Peaks, the beasts that lived there, and how dragons lived.

The most eye opening experience for Jesse was towards the end when Gabriel had Jesse fly with him. It had been months after he finally healed fully. After Gabriel and Jesse had finally established a close friendship and trust that ended up surprising the both of them. Gabriel had proposed the idea to him when he was about to leave to watch over the small town he ruled over (as Jack claimed, Gabriel said he simply watched over and protected it).

“Are you sure about this?” Jesse asked, he had been grabbing hay for Bessie’s bedding when Gabriel proposed the idea to him.

Bessie nuzzled at Gabriel’s leg while Gabriel responded, “Yeah, you’d just be sitting at the lair alone for a week otherwise.”

“What about Bessie?” Jesse asked as he motioned to her with his chin.

“She can fly,” Gabriel shrugged.

“My baby girl won’t be able to fly all that distance,” Jesse frowned.

“Please don’t call her that, she’s not your child,” Gabriel said dryly and laid down in the snow. He rolled over onto his back and stared at Jesse, “I’m leaving in a couple of hours, so are you gonna come?”

Jesse couldn’t hold back a laugh at the sight, “Gabe you look fuckin’ stupid when you lay down like that.” Gabriel’s cheek feathers nearly covered his eyes and his upper lips hung down, revealing his sharp teeth.

“I don’t point out when you look stupid,” Gabriel puffed smoke out at Jesse.

Jesse rolled his eyes, “Sure you don’t. But yeah, I’ll come with.”

A purr rumbled deep within Gabriel’s chest and he blinked slowly, pleased at Jesse. “I have a castle you can stay in.”

“Gabe,” Jesse started, giving Gabriel a look. “You say you don’t rule the town, but you still have a castle?”

“The previous occupant is dead, and I killed him, so it’s mine now,” Gabriel puffed more smoke at Jesse who tried to bat it away from his face. “Law of the land.”

“Yeah, okay, whatever you say,” Jesse laughed. “Now get up so I can move this hay inside.”

Gabriel’s response was to snort, stretch out his legs, and wiggle deeper into the snow. Jesse rolled his eyes, stepped over him, wad of hay in hand, and walked back to the lair. Bessie followed close behind him, she nibbled at the edge of his scarf and bleated happily. Jesse grinned at her, “At least one of y’all are polite,” he called at Gabriel.

“I’m polite,” Gabriel rolled onto his side to stare at Jesse.

“Yeah, sure,” Jesse laughed.

“Do you want to stay here, alone for a week?”

“Wouldn’t be alone, I’d have Bessie to keep me company.”

“Not if I take her with me,” Gabriel hummed.

Jesse didn’t even dignify that with a response, he just laughed and walked into the lair. He didn’t think that Bessie would need the bedding at that point, but he’d rather have some inside the lair and out of the snowy mountain peak. Even though it was approaching summer at that point, the Black Peaks were still frozen and cold. Jesse had asked Gabriel if he ever saw summer in the Peaks, and Gabriel laughed at him.

After Jesse had put away the hay, he felt a nudge at his back and turned around to see Gabriel waiting for him, some type of saddle was hanging from his mouth. Jesse cocked his head in question at Gabriel, and Gabriel dropped the saddle. “You’re gonna fly on me, and for that you’ll need to use a saddle.”

“I didn’t expect dragons to use saddles,” Jesse said after a moment.

“Do you want to die?” Gabriel replied. He didn’t wait for Jesse to respond before saying, “You’ll need to strap it on me yourself. I’m sure you’ve saddled up a horse before.”

“What do you take me for?” Jesse laughed. “Of course I’ve saddled up a horse before, but this looks more than a little different.”

“I’ll walk you through it, but you’ll need to hurry up since we need to get going if we want to arrive before nightfall.”

Jesse shrugged and gave saddling Gabriel up a shot. The saddle was more complex than any horse saddle he had used before, it was almost like a harness with the way it strapped around Gabriel’s legs. And to give Gabriel credit, he was remarkably patient as Jesse worked on the straps and buckles. His only commentary was to instruct Jesse on how different buckles and straps worked, and if they felt too loose or too tight.

“You sure this is safe?” Jesse asked cautiously as he and Gabriel walked out of the lair.

“Ana used to ride me all the time,” Gabriel answered.

“Yeah, same,” Jesse couldn’t help but say.

“I mean, that too, but I was talking about flying with me,” Gabriel laughed.

“Hold on, you fucked her?” Jesse asked. “But you’re… you know,” he motioned to Gabriel’s body with a hand. “Were you shifted or somethin’?”

“Sometimes,” Gabriel replied.

“How’d, uh, how’d it all work?” Jesse couldn’t help his curiosity.

“Well,” Gabriel said dryly. “I have a penis, and I put it in her vagina.”

Jesse whacked Gabriel on the shoulder, though his own hand came off more hurt than Gabriel. “Fuck off, you know what I meant. You ain’t small.”

“We made it work,” Gabriel shrugged. “Morrison had to be more creative but—“

“Hold on,” Jesse cut Gabriel off. “Morrison’s huge, you’re not tellin’ me that he fucked her too.”

“Ana Amari was a very determined woman,” Gabriel said, kneeling down on the ground so Jesse could step into the saddle. “Now are you gonna get on me or what?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jesse waved Gabriel off as he hopped on him. “But you can’t just tell me shit like Ana fucked two massive dragons and not expect me to be a bit flabbergasted.”

“We made things work,” Gabriel puffed out an amused cloud of smoke. “Who else do you think Jack and I would have been fucking?”

“Each other?” Jesse offered, his grip on the saddle was white knuckled tight as Gabriel finally started bolting in order to take off. The first few flaps of Gabriel’s massive wings were enough to make Jesse’s stomach sit in his throat. Suddenly, he had a feeling that _maybe_ it wasn’t the best idea to fly on Gabriel, even if Ana had supposedly done it.

The feeling was compounded when Gabriel was firmly off the ground. Jesse made the mistake of looking ground and immediately tightened his grip on the saddle further.

Gabriel seemed to notice this, “Jesse?” He asked, concern dripped from his voice.

“I’m startin’ to think that this wasn’t a good idea,” Jesse gasped. His accent came out even heavier than usual in his fear.

“Jesse, I fly all the time. This is safe,” Gabriel said gently.

Jesse let out a shaky breath, “Here’s the thing, though, Gabe. I don’t do this all the time.”

“Jesse, do you trust me?” Gabriel asked.

“Of course, but—“

“You’re safe, the air is my home as much as the ground is yours,” Gabriel said, his wings stilled as he rose on an updraft. “I’m not going to let you fall, Jesse.”

Jesse screwed his eyes shut and buried his face in Gabriel’s mane, “Just, just give me a moment to adjust.” With his eyes closed, Jesse could almost pretend that he wasn’t hundreds of feet above the ground and gaining altitude. He wanted so badly to be able to enjoy flying on Gabriel, but every inch of his body was screaming at him to be down on the ground.

Jesse was a desert elf, a creature of the earth, born of shifting sands. He wasn’t made for the air, to have his feet off of the ground. But he hadn’t expected to be so damn frozen with fear as he was.

After nearly half an hour, Jesse was finally able to build up enough courage to move his head away from Gabriel’s warm fluff and give a tentative look to the area around him.

It was… It was gorgeous and Jesse’s breath was taken away from the sight. He still felt vaguely ill and terrified at the height he was at. But he couldn’t help but be amazed at how _small_ everything looked.

“I feel like I’m one of the gods,” Jesse said softly, staring at a rice terrace that passed underneath him. The glimmering water looked like a diamond. “Everything is so small.”

Jesse felt Gabriel’s purr more than he heard it, “Flying is a gift the gods gave us dragons along with the intelligence to fully appreciate it. It’s hard to fly with the birds and not feel love. Jesse, have I told you why I had traveled with Ana and Morrison all those years ago?”

“Fightin’ injustice or something?”

“I love this world,” Gabriel said softly. “Most dragons are content to sit in their lairs, only leaving to gather more for their hoards and to hunt. I’ve always been called to travel,” a heavy sigh left his mouth. “I’m trapped in the Black Peaks, and I think that’s the part of the curse that kills me the most.”

Jesse was quiet for a moment, he entangled his fingers in Gabriel’s soft feathers as he thought, “If you could go back and change things, would you?”

“No,” Gabriel responded. “I saved so many people, Jesse. I did the right thing, protecting this world and the people in it. I just,” he was quiet for a moment, save for his breathing and the beating of his wings. “In the beginning, I spent my time thinking of ways to get back at Morrison. Each time he even came close to my territory, I would attack him. I won’t apologize for my anger, but I was extreme.”

Jesse was quiet as he considered Gabriel’s words. “You both were hurt,” he said after a moment. “You had a right to your anger. Especially when you were hurt by his mistake.”

“Exactly, so for years I stayed in my lair, refusing to do anything but stew in my rage. But that helped nobody, so in the week a month I could leave the Peaks, I did. Until I stumbled across a town ruled by a madman. And, well, you can figure out the rest.”

Jesse gently stroked Gabriel’s mane of feathers. “For a dragon known as the Reaper, you’re quite noble, aren’t you?”

Gabriel snorted a laugh, “You best not go around telling people that, I have a reputation to upkeep.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Jesse grinned and laid down against Gabriel’s neck. “I’m glad that I found you, Gabe.”

“Yeah, me too,” Gabriel said softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to update! This month has been super unproductive to me whoops  
> Going on, updates are probably going to be split between this and my upcoming fic Rage and Tragedy which I'll start publishing on Halloween. Look forward to that! I've been developing it since late june/early july with [nukawinters](https://twitter.com/nukawinters) and I'm super excited for it (it's in the same AU as venomous, if you wanna get a peek at the far future for that au)  
> \---  
> Follow me online @smalls2233 everywhere

**Author's Note:**

> I now have a furry overwatch server! [Ship friendly and 18+ only](https://discord.gg/QVG74vp)


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